What Fuels Those Fickle Music Freaks?

We're All Horny To Play The Hits

Urban-formatted stations are at a crossroads as we prepare for the upcoming Spring Arbitron sweeps. This is largely due to the fact that ours is a mongrel format. Urban and Urban AC formats have very few format exclusive jams. Some programmers think that a song cannot be an Urban or Urban AC hit unless it has exposure in at least one other format. There are, of course, exceptions. Even though, as programmers, we're all "horny to play the hits, " this time we have to take the lead on Urban jams that eventually cross to other formats.

The reality in 2008 is that the further adults go beyond the age of 40, the more important it is to them to hear familiar music. This is not to say that they don't want to hear new music, but rather it takes them a little longer to become familiar with a new song. While those songs they love the most tend to be the classics, research shows they still want to hear some fresh tracks, too.

Urban stations are now exposing a wider range of music than in the recent past. That growth was the direct result of exciting new musical movements that spawned a lifestyle and exposed Urban to the masses. So what is the best way to keep the "music freaks" happy in 2008? There isn't a single magic bullet answer. Smart programmers -- let's call them the calculated risk-takers -- don't necessarily follow national trends, but instead seek market-specific solutions that speak to their audience.

One of the ways Urban radio can grow some audience this Spring is by not limiting themselves and by being willing to air fresh new music and artists to please the "music freaks." Who are the "music freaks" and why are they important, you ask? They are those listeners who selfishly only use radio as a music source. They just want to hear their own personal favorite jams over and over. During the weekends they multiply. They are kids just hanging out, people on their way to and from work or shopping, who now have more time to listen to the radio ... much of it in cars. When their favorite radio station doesn't give them what they want, studies show they will hit three buttons in the car and then go to some other device, such as an iPod.

These kids all struggle with peer pressure. And parents will tolerate their kids' demands for a particular radio station, believing that to not to let them listen to what they want to hear is not just denying them a choice they would like. Many parents feel they would be denying them "membership" in the social club of the moment. These music freaks are important because they are trendsetters. Paying attention to these trendsetters can propel your station and cause it to develop the reputation for being the station that's always out in front with the right, fresh songs. They can also help to provide solutions for stations that have forgotten how to connect with their listeners.

Unfortunately, a lot of programmers haven't realized that Urban stations need to be aware of this and that they need to stay fresh. Even the Urban Adult stations need to have some tempo and to expose their audience to some fresh new product -- all varieties of it, including some hip new artists that fit once they become familiar, such as Keyshia Cole's "I Remember," or Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body." Today's music freaks don't want to listen to just one very narrow type of music, especially in the car, where it's a simple, one-button motion to switch. If the station is too narrow, so is its audience, its ratings and its program director's head.

In the '90s, many programmers incorporated more new music than their upper-demo core was willing to tolerate. They subsequently saw that portion of their audience erode as competitors took advantage of the upper-demo alienation. At the same time, growth in lower demo listeners didn't increase, either. The key is to consistently incorporate new and challenging styles of music while maintaining a careful balance that doesn't stretch the tolerance levels of the station's core audience.

Alienating the upper-demo core with incompatible music is not the only danger that a lot of Urban stations will face. Many Urban stations lack "stationality" beyond the music. Stationality is a reason for listeners to stick around during a commercial stopset, or when a song airs that may not be one that they personally like. It's that intangible attribute where you just can't turn off a station even during a song that you may be thoroughly sick of hearing. How often has a station been so compelling that you've actually been reluctant to leave your car, even when you've reached your destination? We've got to get back to that. Many Urban programmers have a tendency to believe that stationality falls into the realm of "hype" -- something that is to be avoided at all costs. Many Urban AC stations in particular are interesting to listen to musically, but could use a boost in presentation.

They're not bad stations; they're just kind of sleepy, predictable and boring. The stations that break through the clutter are the most successful at understanding how to market to the lifestyles and individual psychographics of their listeners. Those are great stations that just happen to play Urban music. The only thing these stations have in common is that they often end up on the same chart panel. These stations have very little in common as far as current or library music and number of spins. While each of them has always taken an individualistic approach toward their market's likes and dislikes, at one time they were all behind artists that the format is crediting with breaking.

Labels will always cater to stations that will actually take a chance on artists that no one else will. But as these stations become more successful in their markets, with an increase in ratings and listeners, they are less like to take chances on new music and artists than they have in the past. It's good business to make sure your programming decisions reflect what may very well be a more mainstream approach. But these are still music people. If you catch them with the right piece of music, they are still more likely to take a chance on that artist than any other format. The opportunities still exist. They're just not as easy anymore. One reason why it isn't as easy is the continued success that stations achieve if they stay very focused musically.

The Shrinking Playlist -Going From Long Lists To Short Hits

Some programmers are responding to "music freak" fragmentation by lengthening their playlists. The danger here is that if there are 10-15 songs in each segment, including rap, ballads and recurrents, the top five probably appeals to most of the people in the other segments. But the bottom of the list doesn't appeal to any other segment. So if you're playing all those songs, you could be blowing off everyone else as well as your cume, which is going to be especially dangerous once Arbitron's PPM comes in. Additionally, it's possible that the bottom 10 songs aren't familiar to anyone outside of the true "music freaks."

This Spring, numbers-dependent stations have to also be careful that they don't damage their Time Spent Listening (TSL). When you schedule music, you can't mix oil and water. You can't combine two or more generations of music without some balance. Otherwise, your TSL will fall apart.

Taking a few chances occasionally with a mainstream approach can make you stronger because your station will be carved into fewer places and your overall share will be larger. Stations that are not only format-dominant, but also market-dominant, know this. Because when everyone was bailing out of mainstream, dropping rap and going Urban AC, they hung in there, kept their personality indexes high and became big winners because they were uncontested. If everyone in a given market is shooting 25-plus, and you're only the only one doing a great job with 18-34s, you can score big-time.

Urban radio, like the other music formats, has got to make sure that it's still fun to listen to. When it's fun for the listeners, you won't have to worry so much about all these "music freaks" and fears. You will know how to take the right chances with confidence. Then you can replace fear with courage. Courage is being the only one who knows you're afraid.

Word.